Today’s defection of some governors and leading lights of the breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have the full backing of all members of the G7 group, Huhuonline.com can confirm.
Already, Governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has denied media reports purporting that he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for APC, instead affirming his membership of the ruling party.
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo revealed the shock of his principal by the announcement of the merger of New PDP and APC, even before a final decision had been taken on the matter.
He said the governor was not present at the meeting where the merger deal was sealed, and insisted that talks are still ongoing with President Goodluck Jonathan, which means he would await the outcome of the negotiation before taking a final decision.
He said that the decision of some leaders of the new PDP to merge with APC lacks internal democracy, as the action is tantamount to the very offence the new PDP has been accusing the Tukur-led PDP of.
Also, his counterpart from Jigawa state, Sule Lamido says he is still a member of the PDP.Huhuonline.com learnt that the governors of Rivers and Adamawa are only in a hurry to depart the PDP because the party structure in the state has been taken from them.
Now, they want take advantage of the openings in APC and become the leaders of the party in their respective state. Nyako wants his son to succeed him after his tenure while Amaechi is alleged to be seeking to be able to influence 2015 election in Rivers State, without supporting President Jonathan’s second term ambition.However, his political God father,Dr.Peter Odili is gradually taking back the political structure he ceded to Gov. Rotimi Amaechi.
He also said part of the decision to join the APC was because the issues raised by G7 governors were not resolved by President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Speaking with journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport upon his arrival from Abuja, Tuesday, Governor Rotimi Amaechi said,, “Yes, we have joined APC after the meeting we had with (Muhammadu) Buhari, (Bola) Tinubu and the interim chairman of APC (Chief Bisi Akande).
“The governors met on Monday and decided that we must meet with the APC leadership and when we met with the APC leadership, it was important we took a position and the position we took is for the good of our democracy and ensure that Nigeria moves forward. We can’t continue the way we are, where we are. The picture painted by the PDP was as if we were begging to come back to PDP and issues were not being looked into; issues were not being resolved and it’s important that we resolve it one way or the other.
“I think that what has happened is that what was then new PDP decided that it’s important that we move into APC and position ourselves for the next election.
“Rivers State must know that for me to have taken that decision, I had looked at the general interests of Rivers people. I was not elected to lead Nigeria, I was elected to lead Rivers State and I had looked at the interests of Rivers people and have seen that these interests were not protected in PDP. I have seen the fact that we are losing our oil wells in Etche, in the Kalabari areas and that the more they continue to pilfer these oil wells, the more we will continue to lose our wealth,” Amaechi said.
“The President and I have no personal quarrel. It’s important we put that in perspective. All the issues were issues that affect Rivers people; were issues that affect Nigerians and I am a Nigerian. I have to address those issues. He is my President and I respect him. I respect his office, respect him as a person, respect the fact that he’s older but then as elected governor of Rivers State, I have the responsibility to lead Rivers State.
“If you look at what is going on, the federal government is not able to fund the states anymore. They say oil theft but oil theft is not enough reason for which we cannot fund ourselves.
“As per development in Rivers State, we are about to commission about 300 primary schools, we are about to commission another 70 health centres to add to the 60 we commissioned before. We are about to commission the Kelsey Harrison Hospital at Emenike Street. There is a new one inside Rivers State University of Science and Technology campus. There is a partnership between us and NDDC for which we have paid NDDC about N960 million for the Mother-and-Child hospital and NDDC is expected to bring about N900 million to make it N1.8 billion for the hospital. The stadium is about to be completed. So development is actually going on. We are working.”
No one is sure of where governor Wamaako of Sokoto stands. His arch nemesis and former boss, Governor Baffarawa is the leader of APC in Sokoto State. Huhuonline.com learnt that the leadership of APC was forced to apologise to Baffarawa for visiting the governor last month. Governor Wammako served as Deputy Governor to Alhaji Bafarawa, before resigning to run for the governorship of the state.
Our finding shows that Bafarawa is unwilling to collapse his political structure for a decamping Governor Wammako. Also, Alhaji Shekaru, the former governor of Kano state who is the leader of APC in the state is not ready to collapse his political structure for kwankwanso.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the official exit of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and other G7 governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as no shocker but rather, a vindication of the party’s earlier revelation.
In a statement signed by Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Jerry Needam, the party expressed satisfaction with the “welcome development”, saying it is a big relief for its leadership and other genuine members of the party, who have continued to tolerate the rebellious and insubordinate behaviour and actions of Amaechi and his allies over the period in the state and at the national level.
“With the formal defection of Amaechi and his associates, the party is now better placed and focused to deliver to the people of the state the much-desired development and programmes that have been illusive following the internal ache that acted like a virus to the party by Governor Amaechi and his co-travellers”, the statement read.
“The defection of Governor Amaechi is inconsequential to the success of PDP in Rivers State, and the nation. Rather than create adverse effect on the party, it will further strengthen the party at all levels.
“To this end, the PDP in the state, in the coming days, it will organise a thanksgiving service in celebration of the exit of the undesirable elements and to thank God for answering its prayers”.
The party implored its numerous members to join it in thanking God for “being delivered from the evil that has held the party in bondage in the state and at national level”, and to remain steadfast and even more committed, noting that time has come for those who have been held captive to be liberated.
It congratulated all those who have, over the period, joined hands with its leadership in fighting against “dictatorship, impunity and abuse of rights of the citizenry in Rivers State.” It also wished “Governor Amaechi and his ill-fated train best of luck in their future endeavour”.
On its own, the nPDP has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to start preparing his 2015 handover notes, claiming that APC is now the majority party in the country.
Late this morning, at about 11:46am, National Chairman of the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, formally announced the merger of the party with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The merger was contained in a communiqué read to journalists by Baraje at the end of a meeting between the leadership of New PDP and that of the APC held at the Kano Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
“A meeting of the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) and the new PDP met this morning at the residence of the Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in Abuja and after exhaustive deliberations the two parties agreed to merge in order to rescue our fledgling democracy and the nation”, the communiqué, signed by Bisi Akande, the APC national chairman and Baraje, read.
With this development, the G7 Governors of New PDP — namely, Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) — are now members of the APC. The merger thus shoots up the number of APC state governors to 18 while PDP’s shrinks to 16, with All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party having one governor each. A similar permutation exists in the National Assembly where APC now has the majority with PDP and its allies in minority.
“The simple meaning of this is that APC is now the majority party in the country while PDP has become a minority party. In the circumstances, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan must now start writing his handover notes because his ambition to maouvre the party structures so as to get a third term in office in 2015 has suddenly collapsed”, National Publicity Secretary of NPDP, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze wrote in a statement.
“What a sudden change of fortune! What a sad day for the PDP, a party which we laboured to build, which was viciously taken away from us but which, out of our great love for it, we did everything humanly possible to save but were frustrated by the unpatriotic elements that have usurped the leadership of the party.
“Nigerians could recall that several meetings had been held between the APC leaders and the leaders of the New PDP. The APC had visited each of our seven New PDP governors in their states to convince them to join its fold but all these notwithstanding while the PDP Leadership on their own side were plotting on daily basis on how to frustrate us out of the party we suffered to nurture”.
nPDP maintained that it did all within its powers to reconcile with PDP to no avail, as sadly, Jonathan allowed the hawks within the Presidency and PDP Leadership to convince him to abort last Sunday’s meeting that would have brought a last peace to the party, which the PDP leadership under Alhaji Bamanga Tukur frustrated.
“So we have no other option than to formally announce the death and burial of PDP. Day and night we cried out, begging whoever loved PDP to join us to rescue the party from imminent doom but we were conveniently ignored and abused. Just last night, we issued the last in a series of passionate appeals to PDP Elders to take urgent steps to save the troubled party in the face of their unbelievable silence in the face of the chain of developments instigated by factional National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, which has put the party at the edge of the precipice.
“Now, we have reached the stage that we can only say: ‘PDP, your sinking ship has been abandoned to you! You brought this misfortune upon yourself, now you must bear it alone!’
“As for us, we are happy to belong to the APC, where our value is appreciated, where we are made to feel truly wanted, and where we can now join forces with like minds in our struggle to liberate Nigeria from PDP’s misrule, which is soon to end”.
Among those at Tuesday’s merger meeting were APC leader and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu; APC National Chairman, Bisi Akande; Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso: former Kwara Governor and serving senator, Bukola Saraki; former Nasarawa Governor and serving senator, Abdullahi Adamu; former Bayelsa Governor, Timipre Sylva; and Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako.
Others are former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari; Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; court-reinstated National Secretary of the PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Abia State Governor, Ogbonnaya Onu; former PDP Vice Chairman, Sam Jaja; Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; and Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu.
However, in some sort of counter-reaction, the national leadership of PDP slammed its decamping members, saying it remains unperturbed by the move.
“The attention of the National Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to an announcement by members of the so called New PDP declaring their membership of the All Progressive Congress (APC). We recognize the rights of freedom of association for all Nigerians and declare that it is within the rights of any Nigerian citizen to associate with anybody he/she deems fit”, read a statement signed by National Publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh.
“By this open declaration today, those individuals have unveiled their true intent, which most Nigerians suspected ab initio. They have chosen to abandon a broad based National Platform and embraced a narrow group of ethnic and religious bigots whose main intention is to unleash a state of anarchy on Nigeria.
“We wish to state categorically that the PDP remains unperturbed, as we are now rid of detractors and distractions. We urge all our members nationwide to remain focused and close ranks, now that agents of distraction have finally left our ranks”.
The party reminded its members that from the rulings of the court, there are no factions whatsoever in the PDP. It affirmed that in the eyes of the law, the PDP remains one and an indivisible entity under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. It also commended the “wise decision” of some of the aggrieved governors to dissociate themselves from the action of some of their colleagues, and assured Nigerians that the PDP will continue to grow from strength to strength and will definitely emerge stronger from this event.
“We reiterate that the position of the law is very clear that there is no factions whatsoever in the PDP”, the statement added.
“We wish to use this opportunity to remind all PDP members that the peace process initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan is still on course and we wish to thank him for his patience, humility and spirit of accommodation. The meeting between the president and aggrieved members shall hold on Sunday, December 01, 2013.
“Finally, we wish to reassure our teeming members that our doors remain open to address all grievances. We shall however not condone any acts of internal subversion from any quarters”.
